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The effects of temperature on detection of prey DNA in two species of carabid beetle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 April 2008

K. von Berg ,
M. Traugott ,
W.O.C. Symondson  and
S. Scheu
K. von Berg*
Affiliation:
Animal Ecology, University of Technology Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstrasse 3, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
M. Traugott
Affiliation:
Institute of Ecology, Mountain Agriculture Research Unit, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstrasse 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Biomedical Sciences Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3US, UK
W.O.C. Symondson
Affiliation:
Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Biomedical Sciences Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3US, UK
S. Scheu
Affiliation:
Animal Ecology, University of Technology Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstrasse 3, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
*
*Author for correspondence Fax: +49 6151 166111 E-mail: vonberg@bio.tu-darmstadt.de
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Abstract

PCR-based techniques to investigate predator-prey trophic interactions are starting to be used more widely, but factors affecting DNA decay in predator guts are still poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effects of time since feeding, temperature and amplicon size on the detectability of prey DNA in the gut content of two closely related predator species. Cereal aphids, Sitobion avenae, were fed to the carabid beetles Pterostichus melanarius and Nebria brevicollis. Beetles were allowed to digest their meal at 12°C, 16°C and 20°C, and batches of beetles were subsequently frozen at time periods from 0–72 h after feeding. Aphid DNA was detected within beetles' gut contents using primers amplifying fragments of 85, 231, 317 and 383 bp. Prey DNA detection rates were significantly higher in N. brevicollis than in P. melanarius, indicating fundamental dissimilarities in prey digestion capacities. High temperatures (20°C) and large amplicons (383 bp) significantly decreased detection rates. The shortest amplicon gave the highest prey DNA detection success, whereas no differences were observed between the 231 bp and the 317 bp fragment. Our results indicate that factors such as ambient temperature, predator taxon and amplicon size should all be considered when interpreting data derived from PCR-based prey detection. Correction for such factors should make calculation of predation rates in the field more accurate and could help us to estimate when predation events occur in the field.

Keywords

CarabidaeDNA decaygut content analysisHomopteraPCR
Type
Research Paper
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 98 , Issue 3 , June 2008 , pp. 263 - 269
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 Cambridge University Press

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